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NEA NATIONAL HERITAGE FELLOWSHIPS
Photos © RJ Muna
Zakarya and Naomi Diouf
West African Diasporic Dancers2020 NEA National Heritage Fellow
Oakland/Castro Valley, CA
Zakarya and Naomi Diouf
West African Diasporic Dancers2020 NEA National Heritage Fellow
Oakland/Castro Valley, CA
DATE: January 11, 2022
CONTACT: Dedeh La Foucade
Diamano Coura West African Dance Company to Receive $15,000.00 Grant
from the National Endowment for the Arts
Oakland, CA—Diamano Coura West African dance Company has been approved for a $15,000.00 Grants for Arts Projects award to support Collage des Cultures Africaines . This project will gather renown artists from around the world to teach, inspire, and preserve African dancing and drumming. Collages des Cultures Africaines project is among 1,248 projects across America totaling $28,840,000 that were selected to receive this first round of fiscal year 2022 funding in the Grants for Arts Projects category.
“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts projects like this one from Diamano Coura that help support the community’s creative economy,” said NEA Acting Chair Ann Eilers. “Diamano Coura West African Dance Company in Oakland is among the arts organizations nationwide that are using the arts as a source of strength, a path to well-being, and providing access and opportunity for people to connect and find joy through the arts.”
An international African collaboration featuring 20 renowned experts from Africa and the African Diaspora in one inspirational performance, a pre-performance African marketplace, 20 dance and drum workshops, free site specific performance, three exciting youth workshops in drumming, a Bantaba Opening Ceremony and more.
Please note, there may be a delay in the distribution of some grant awards as the NEA and all of the federal government are operating under a continuing budget resolution which currently expires on February 18, 2022.
For more information on other projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.
CONTACT: Dedeh La Foucade
Diamano Coura West African Dance Company to Receive $15,000.00 Grant
from the National Endowment for the Arts
Oakland, CA—Diamano Coura West African dance Company has been approved for a $15,000.00 Grants for Arts Projects award to support Collage des Cultures Africaines . This project will gather renown artists from around the world to teach, inspire, and preserve African dancing and drumming. Collages des Cultures Africaines project is among 1,248 projects across America totaling $28,840,000 that were selected to receive this first round of fiscal year 2022 funding in the Grants for Arts Projects category.
“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts projects like this one from Diamano Coura that help support the community’s creative economy,” said NEA Acting Chair Ann Eilers. “Diamano Coura West African Dance Company in Oakland is among the arts organizations nationwide that are using the arts as a source of strength, a path to well-being, and providing access and opportunity for people to connect and find joy through the arts.”
An international African collaboration featuring 20 renowned experts from Africa and the African Diaspora in one inspirational performance, a pre-performance African marketplace, 20 dance and drum workshops, free site specific performance, three exciting youth workshops in drumming, a Bantaba Opening Ceremony and more.
Please note, there may be a delay in the distribution of some grant awards as the NEA and all of the federal government are operating under a continuing budget resolution which currently expires on February 18, 2022.
For more information on other projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.
CALIFORNIA ARTS COUNCIL AWARDS RECORD $30 MILLION TO CALIFORNIA’S CREATIVE AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS
State arts agency makes the largest investment in its 40-plus year history in support of community well-being, resilience, and vitality through the arts
With support from the California Arts Council, Blue Line Arts in Placer County will provide arts programming for veterans and their families with a focus on arts therapy.
SACRAMENTO, CA - The California Arts Council has announced today a record-setting $29,951,200 in support for arts and culture in California. A total of 1,534 grants have been awarded to nonprofit organizations and units of government throughout the state for their work in support of the agency’s mission to strengthen arts, culture, and creative expression as the tools to cultivate a better California for all. The investment marks a more than $5 million increase over the previous fiscal year, and the largest in California Arts Council history.
Organizations were awarded grants across 15 different program areas addressing access, equity, and inclusion; community vibrancy; and arts learning and engagement; and directly benefiting our state's communities, with youth, veterans, returned citizens, and California's historically marginalized communities key among them. Successful projects aligned closely with the agency's vision of a California where all people flourish with universal access to and participation in the arts.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the California Arts Council recognizes that some grantees may need to postpone, modify, or cancel their planned activities supported by CAC funds, due to state and local public health guidelines. The state arts agency is prioritizing flexibility in addressing these changes and supporting appropriate solutions for grantees.
"Creativity sits at the very heart of our identity as Californians and as a people. In this unprecedented moment, the need to understand, endure, and transcend our lived experiences through arts and culture is all the more relevant for each of us,” said Nashormeh Lindo, Chair of the California Arts Council. “The California Arts Council is proud to be able to offer more support through our grant programs than ever before, at a time when our communities’ need is perhaps greater than ever before. These grants will support immediate and lasting community impact by investing in arts businesses and cultural workers across the state.”
The California Arts Council's grant programs are administered through a multistep, public process. Following an open call for applications, submissions are adjudicated by peer review panels made up of experts from the arts and cultural fields and representative of California's diverse geography; racial, ethnic, and gender identities; perspectives and knowledge. Based on panel recommendations and availability of funds, the Council voted on grant awards at public meetings on February 5 and April 1. Grant activities may begin July 1, 2020.
Interested members of the public, artists, arts organizations, and community leaders are encouraged to visit the California Arts Council website to learn about future grant opportunities as details become available. Notification of grant program guidelines, applications, and technical assistance opportunities will be also published in the California Arts Council's weekly e-newsletter, ArtBeat. Subscribe at http://arts.ca.gov/news/artbeat.php.
State arts agency makes the largest investment in its 40-plus year history in support of community well-being, resilience, and vitality through the arts
With support from the California Arts Council, Blue Line Arts in Placer County will provide arts programming for veterans and their families with a focus on arts therapy.
SACRAMENTO, CA - The California Arts Council has announced today a record-setting $29,951,200 in support for arts and culture in California. A total of 1,534 grants have been awarded to nonprofit organizations and units of government throughout the state for their work in support of the agency’s mission to strengthen arts, culture, and creative expression as the tools to cultivate a better California for all. The investment marks a more than $5 million increase over the previous fiscal year, and the largest in California Arts Council history.
Organizations were awarded grants across 15 different program areas addressing access, equity, and inclusion; community vibrancy; and arts learning and engagement; and directly benefiting our state's communities, with youth, veterans, returned citizens, and California's historically marginalized communities key among them. Successful projects aligned closely with the agency's vision of a California where all people flourish with universal access to and participation in the arts.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the California Arts Council recognizes that some grantees may need to postpone, modify, or cancel their planned activities supported by CAC funds, due to state and local public health guidelines. The state arts agency is prioritizing flexibility in addressing these changes and supporting appropriate solutions for grantees.
"Creativity sits at the very heart of our identity as Californians and as a people. In this unprecedented moment, the need to understand, endure, and transcend our lived experiences through arts and culture is all the more relevant for each of us,” said Nashormeh Lindo, Chair of the California Arts Council. “The California Arts Council is proud to be able to offer more support through our grant programs than ever before, at a time when our communities’ need is perhaps greater than ever before. These grants will support immediate and lasting community impact by investing in arts businesses and cultural workers across the state.”
The California Arts Council's grant programs are administered through a multistep, public process. Following an open call for applications, submissions are adjudicated by peer review panels made up of experts from the arts and cultural fields and representative of California's diverse geography; racial, ethnic, and gender identities; perspectives and knowledge. Based on panel recommendations and availability of funds, the Council voted on grant awards at public meetings on February 5 and April 1. Grant activities may begin July 1, 2020.
Interested members of the public, artists, arts organizations, and community leaders are encouraged to visit the California Arts Council website to learn about future grant opportunities as details become available. Notification of grant program guidelines, applications, and technical assistance opportunities will be also published in the California Arts Council's weekly e-newsletter, ArtBeat. Subscribe at http://arts.ca.gov/news/artbeat.php.
Collage des Cultures Africaines
Join us for 4 days of drumming, dancing, history, legacy, and a look into our future.
March 10 - 13, 2022
Oakland, CA
March 10 - 13, 2022
Oakland, CA
purchase today!! |
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Mama Naomi has RetiredJune 2019
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News Articles
Congratulations, Mama! Your remarkable dedication to our students, school and community is deeply inspiring.
www.berkeleyside.com/2019/05/14/mama-washington-who-brought-west-african-dance-to-thousands-of-her-children-at-berkeley-high-retires?fbclid=IwAR0SLfp6a5RvkAvEiY2--414SjyThyprAlUaCjPWWo6f89y-Nvyn1e2AR4A
'Mama Washington' Directs Last Afro-Haitian Dance Performance; Honored with City of Berkeley Proclamation
Berkeley High’s Naomi Diouf, fondly known as “Mama Washington,” was lauded in a City of Berkeley Proclamation, “In Honor of Mama Washington,” issued on Thursday, May 16, by Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin.
The upcoming retirement of Ms. Diouf, teacher of African/Haitian dance and chair of the African American Studies Department, has prompted an outpouring of fond tributes recognizing her three decades of teaching and leadership making the school dance program what it is today.The City Proclamation says in part, “Mama Washington has dedicated her life’s work to the preservation, education, and appreciation of traditional West African music, dance and theater, enriching the cultural fabric of our city, our community and our world.”
According to Mama Washington, the word “retirement” doesn’t accurately capture her plans. “I know I’m leaving a great part of my life,” she said, “But I’m not retiring, I’m transitioning into my next stage of life. That’s the African tradition — everyone goes through stages.”
Video of performances: Part 1, Part 2
Berkeley Unified School District | 2020 Bonar Street | 510-644-8764 | www.berkeleyschools.net
Congratulations, Mama! Your remarkable dedication to our students, school and community is deeply inspiring.
www.berkeleyside.com/2019/05/14/mama-washington-who-brought-west-african-dance-to-thousands-of-her-children-at-berkeley-high-retires?fbclid=IwAR0SLfp6a5RvkAvEiY2--414SjyThyprAlUaCjPWWo6f89y-Nvyn1e2AR4A
'Mama Washington' Directs Last Afro-Haitian Dance Performance; Honored with City of Berkeley Proclamation
Berkeley High’s Naomi Diouf, fondly known as “Mama Washington,” was lauded in a City of Berkeley Proclamation, “In Honor of Mama Washington,” issued on Thursday, May 16, by Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin.
The upcoming retirement of Ms. Diouf, teacher of African/Haitian dance and chair of the African American Studies Department, has prompted an outpouring of fond tributes recognizing her three decades of teaching and leadership making the school dance program what it is today.The City Proclamation says in part, “Mama Washington has dedicated her life’s work to the preservation, education, and appreciation of traditional West African music, dance and theater, enriching the cultural fabric of our city, our community and our world.”
According to Mama Washington, the word “retirement” doesn’t accurately capture her plans. “I know I’m leaving a great part of my life,” she said, “But I’m not retiring, I’m transitioning into my next stage of life. That’s the African tradition — everyone goes through stages.”
Video of performances: Part 1, Part 2
Berkeley Unified School District | 2020 Bonar Street | 510-644-8764 | www.berkeleyschools.net
